Bonds
by Took-Baggins
Summary: A collection of short oneshots and drabbles dealing with various characters.
1. Chicago 1999

A/N Basically, this will be a collection of little one-shots that I feel are too short to stand on their own, but also think are good enough to be read. Chapters will be added as they come to me, so I don't know how many there will be in the end.

I just love Shader and Fiore.

I hope everyone enjoys these!

xXxXx

Shader lived in a small apartment. It was in one of the poorer neighborhoods of Chicago, but she was just fine with that. She moved every couple of years anyway. Fiore was happy to see that it was clean at least. She was horrified, however, to find that her friend had survived the past seventy-five years on take-out and canned food. It was a habit she was quickly putting a stop to.

It had become routine for them, in the time since they had found one another. Fiore happily worked at the tiny stove, ignoring her friend as she hovered around her.

"Oh, what are we having tonight? It smells so good...I'm so glad you're here, Fiore...Florette...uh..."the cat paused, her eyes flattening in annoyance as she tried to decide which name the doll would prefer. After a moment she shrugged it off, wrapping her arms around the other woman's middle. "You're the best!"

Fiore endured it patiently, just as she always had. Shader was always a little crazy, and she seemed to enjoy throwing random hugs at people she liked. She supposed that must have been why the Apostles were always at ease with the cat. She was so annoyingly friendly.

But a friend she was.

Fiore didn't take long in her cooking, as it was a small meal and she worked quickly. Very soon the two of them were seated at the apartment's tiny table, quietly eating. Shader was sucking at her spoon, humming happily to herself. Letting her own spoon drop quietly to her plate, the doll stared at her, waiting for the cat's attention. Several minutes passed by without either of them speaking.

"Master Shader?" Fiore asked, breaking the silence. The cat opened one eyes, giving her friend a stern look.

"Stop that, Fiore."

"...Shader..." Fiore corrected her address. It made her feel very forward, but she had wanted to ask since she had begun living there. She needed to know. "Shader, did everyone...back then..."

"No." the cat dropped her eyes, a shadow passing her face. "Genai...Viede...even Aion...no one's left but us, and maybe Chrno..."she caught the blank look her friend gave her. "That's right, you didn't know him, did you?"

"No." the doll's face tensed slightly, and she braced herself. "Did Joshua also...?" she couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence. For her it had not happened all that long ago, the pain was still fresh. Slowly Shader looked at her, her fingers pushing at her glasses as she though.

"He lived for a very long time after that."

"...I'm glad."

"Azmaria Hendric died not too long ago. A year maybe...the obituary was in the paper." Joshua wasn't a subject that either of them wanted to dwell on. Fiore had lowered her head, only partially listening. "I visited her a few times...she seemed glad to hear from me. She was always such a forgiving girl." Shader tilted her head, peering curiously at he woman sitting across from her. "Say, didn't you wake up in some place the Hendric's owned?"

"Satella..." Fiore looked up at her friend, staring at her with reddened eyes. "She was injured when I left...I...I shouldn't have..."

"Alright, we'll go visit her! I'm sure she'll be glad to see you're alright."

"I don't want to visit he, I just want to make sure she's alright." a small, sad smile crossed Shader's face as she nodded and went back to her food. Fiore wanted to check on her sister, with as little contact as possible. It was understandable that she wouldn't want to speak to her again.

The Harvenheit sisters had said enough goodbyes to last a lifetime.


	2. Hurt

I've decided that I'll be adding drabbles here too. I don't usually write them, but I've been reading them lately and I find I like them. There's no prompts or anything that I'm following (I'm open to them if you'd like to leave one in a review, though). So, enjoy everyone!

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2. Hurt

Chrno never meant to hurt her. The truth was, he sometimes forgot how fragile she really was. Sometimes he pulled her along too roughly, or held on to her too fiercely...

Really, he just wanted to protect her.

He wanted to take away the hurt he saw in her eyes every time they met his own. He could see a lifetime of pain there, more than any sixteen year old girl should ever have to know. Every time her gaze fell on him, he could feel it too. Everything weighed on her so heavily...

The mental anguish of his contractor tortured him, as did the physical inflictions he himself had caused. How could he hold her, when every touch left a mark?

He only wanted to protect her.

He didn't understand how to protect her from himself.


	3. Little Sister

3. Little Sister

She felt as if she were playing dress-up. The Azmaria in the mirror stared back at her with wide eyes, her hands nervously straightening the collar of her dress. It was green, with white lace around the sleeves and collar. Satella was behind her, bent so that their heads were together. Azmaria can't help telling her she doesn't feel right accepting it, that it's just too beautiful for someone like her. The woman only shakes her head, a strange, gentle smile crossing her face.

She tells Azmaria not to say such things, because it's perfect.


	4. Cookies

4. Cookies

Rosette was never good at baking. Azmaria and Chrno did their best to help her, ignoring Satella as she sat by and admonished them for pursuing such a lost cause. They were gentle as they quelled the young exorcist's frustrations, and every so often they started again from scratch. Rosette's cookies never turned out any better, but after a few hours the four of them were happy and covered in flour and sugar.

Somehow, they felt like something of a family.

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I have a few more that I'll put up in a day or two, and I'm still writing so there'll be more after that! Thanks for reading!


	5. Cheerful

5. Cheerful

She was cheerful because she had to be. No one else seemed able to, so Shader worked to keep a smile on her face and a certain amount of happiness present in the house by the sea. She knows it's annoying, but she can't stand to sulk with everyone else. Sometimes, she is rewarded with a grin or a chuckle from one of her housemates. Most often Fiore.

It just makes her all the more cheerful.


	6. Amazing

I'm sorry these have been so tiny and short. I'm not used to doing drabbles and things. "He" is Aion, by the way.

6. Amazing

He was amazing. Chrno could not help looking up to the other demon. Neither could anyone else. How then, could someone so amazing, with plans so perfect, let everything go so terribly wrong? They fought for their lives then, and a thought occurred to Chrno.

Sinners are always found out.


	7. Morning Service

I think this is my favorite so far...

7. Morning Service

It happened the same way every day. The morning services would begin, and before long they were interrupted as the doors in the back of the sanctuary were knocked open. A dozen or more adolescent hearts fluttered and sighed as every head turned to the approaching priest. The remainder of the service was lost on the girls, as they sat casting sneaky glances towards Father Remington.

At the window, a demon watched this routine every day, his soft voice echoing in the empty courtyard as a chuckle escaped him.

He could laugh because of Rosette.

He could laugh because her head didn't turn.


End file.
